"AT SOME POINT," SHE EXPLAINED WITH A SHRUG, "AMERICANS WILL GROW TIRED OF HEARING ABOUT MY LIES. THEY'LL JUST MOVE ON. LIKE WITH IRAQ. EVERYONE JUST MOVED ON. EXCEPT THE DEAD. BUT, HEY, I CAME, I SAW, THEY DIED."

(Beirut) – The announced investigation into allegations of abuse of civilians around Fallujah by Iraqi
government forces is a test for the government’s ability to hold
abusive forces accountable. Judicial officials should conduct this
investigation transparently and impartially, assess command
responsibility, and ensure protection for victims and witnesses.Ahead of the offensive in Fallujah against forces of the Islamic State
(also known as ISIS), Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said that his
government had taken measures
to protect civilians. Human Rights Watch, however, has received
credible allegations of summary executions, beatings of unarmed men,
enforced disappearances, and mutilation of corpses by government forces
over the two weeks of fighting, mostly on the outskirts of the city,
since May 23. On June 4, 2016, in response to allegations of abuse,
al-Abadi launched an investigation into abuses in Fallujah and issued orders to arrest those responsible for “transgressions” against civilians. On June 7, al-Abadi announced
the “detention and transfer of those accused of committing violations
to the judiciary to receive their punishment according to the law.”
“The Iraqi government needs to control and hold accountable its own
forces if it hopes to claim the moral upper hand in its fight against
ISIS,” said Joe Stork,
deputy Middle East director. “It’s high time for Iraqi authorities to
unravel the web of culpability underlying the government forces’
repeated outrages against civilians.”Human Rights Watch also expressed grave concern about reports of ISIS preventing civilians from fleeing
Fallujah and allegedly executing and shooting at those who attempted to
do so. Human Rights Watch is concerned about the presence of ISIS
fighters among civilians inside Fallujah, perhaps amounting to human
shielding, a war crime. But the presence of fighters among civilians
does not absolve forces fighting ISIS from the obligation to target only
military objectives and to take all feasible measures to avoid civilian
harm, Human Rights Watch said. ISIS forces should allow civilians to leave areas under their control and not use civilians to shield its military objectives from attack, Human Rights Watch said.
Human Rights Watch directed questions about the composition of the
investigative committee, its authority, and relation to the judiciary to
five Iraqi government institutions in addition to the human rights
section of the United Nations Assistance Mission to Iraq. A member of
the parliamentary Human Rights Committee told Human Rights Watch that
the committee had started its own investigation and was liaising with
the investigation by the prime minister’s office, which remained secret.
The other officials contacted did not respond to multiple requests for
comment. On June 3, Human Rights Watch received information alleging that
members of the Federal Police and the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF),
an auxiliary fighting force created after ISIS advanced in June 2014,
and that includes many pre-existing Shia militias, had executed more
than a dozen civilians from the Jumaila tribe fleeing Sajar, a village
north of Fallujah. Human Rights Watch spoke to five people, including
two officials from Anbar governorate, who said they were protecting
three surviving witnesses to the executions.

Three of those interviewed confirmed the account that a survivor
gave on Tigris (Dijla) Channel television that a group consisting of
Federal Police and PMF had separated men from women, marched the men to
where the troops’ officers were, lined them up, and shot at least 17 of
them, including one teenage boy. One person said that the incident took
place on June 2. The PMF are, at least nominally, under the command of
the prime minister. One of the Anbar governorate officials provided Human Rights Watch
with a list of names of those killed and said that the incident happened
near the Sharhabil school in Al-Bu Sudaira neighborhood in the northern
outskirts of Fallujah. The other Anbar official said that the witnesses
met with senior Iraqi government officials on June 5, following which he said Prime Minister al-Abadi
launched an investigation into the incident. A former Iraqi government
official with good contacts in the security forces told Human Rights
Watch, on June 5, that the investigation had already led to the arrest
of a police officer whom survivors could name.

Another person who said he was in the Sajar area, 7 kilometers
northeast of Fallujah, at the time told Human Rights Watch that on May
28, he saw Federal Police and PMF, including dozens of fighters from the
Badr Brigades and Hezbollah (two prominent Shia militias in the PMF),
fatally shoot civilians with white flags raised fleeing toward the
government forces that day. He said that a fighter told him his superior
officer had ordered the shootings. He also told Human Rights Watch he
was in Saqlawiya around May 30. This person said a villager and several
PMF fighters in the area told him that PMF fighters stabbed dozens of
villagers to death with knives.

“There are extremely
distressing, credible reports that some people who survive the
terrifying experience of escaping from ISIL, then face severe physical
abuse once they reach the other side,” the High Commissioner said.
“Eyewitnesses have described how armed groups operating in support of
the Iraqi security forces are intercepting people fleeing the conflict,
separating the men and teenage boys from the women and children, and
detaining the males for ‘security screening’, which in some cases
degenerates into physical violations and other forms of abuse,
apparently in order to elicit forced confessions. There are even
allegations that some individuals have been summarily executed by these
armed groups.”

When that alarm was raised, the US State Dept played dumb. They did so again today:

MR TONER: We can go to Fallujah, sure.QUESTION: Okay. First of all, could you give us an update of
what’s going on? And second, there seems to be, like, some sort of a
campaign to aid the “Sunnis,” quote-unquote, in Fallujah in places like
Saudi Arabia and other places. A spokesman for the ministry of interior
in Saudi Arabia says we cannot stop people’s sentiments and so on. Are
you concerned or would you sort of take this up with the Saudis to --MR TONER: You – I’m sorry, just – I missed it. You’re saying that there seems to be a – yeah, sorry, sorry. Yeah.QUESTION: No, two things. First of all, can you give us an update? And then I’ll follow up with --MR TONER: Okay.QUESTION: -- other one.MR TONER: Sure thing, hold on one second. Apologize; my book has grown too large.So as I think I said yesterday, Iraqi forces are making progress, are
advancing on the city. I’d obviously refer you to the Iraqi authorities
to speak more about what progress has been made. I do know that – and I
think I’m speaking to your – maybe your second question – but we are
concerned about the plight of civilians who are fleeing Fallujah, and I
spoke about this yesterday. Our understanding is that ISIL [. . .] is
holding tens of thousands of civilians hostage and under terrible
conditions. Iraqi Security Forces are trying to screen those who are
fleeing the city to ensure that [Islamic State] fighters are not hiding among
these innocents – civilians. And it’s difficult work, but we expect it
to be conducted in a way that respects human rights and the safety of
these civilians who are fleeing the fighting.QUESTION: And it seems that the Fallujah battle is stirring or
polarizing the Sunni-Shia schism; and in fact, in places like Saudi
Arabia and other Sunni-dominated countries are collecting contributions
and money and so on being sent. Some fear that it might find its way to
ISIS, or others fear that it will only exacerbate this --MR TONER: Sure.QUESTION: -- sectarian schism.MR TONER: Well – and we’ve, again, talked about this the last
couple of days. I mean, look, we’re obviously aware of the underlying
dynamics and tensions inherent to this assault or this offensive to
retake Fallujah. We understand Prime Minister Abadi has opened safe
passageways for civilians to be able to escape. We’ve talked a lot about
messages from Prime Minister Abadi as well as Ayatollah al-Sistani’s
message that Iraqi Security Forces involved in this offensive should
protect civilians and civilian properties.We are troubled by reports that civilians in Fallujah and the
surrounding area have been subject to torture or abuse and in I think
some cases even murder. I know Prime Minister Abadi has pledged to
investigate all credible reports and hold those accountable – the
perpetrators. He’s issued clear instructions to Iraqi Security Forces,
including the Popular Mobilization Forces, to protect civilians and
respect their human rights. And we firmly support this approach.I think that the Iraqi Government is saying the right things,
pledging to do the right things, and we’re obviously working closely
with them to ensure that they follow through.QUESTION: Finally, are you troubled by reports that suggest
that Iranian General Qasem Soleimani is giving personal advice or field
advice to – personally to Prime Minister Abadi on how to conduct the
Fallujah battle? Are you aware of those reports?MR TONER: I mean, look, this offensive – we’ve seen the
reports, certainly, and I acknowledge that we’ve seen them. We’re not in
a position to confirm any of these images as accurate. We don’t know
about his travel schedule or where he is. I’d have to refer you to
Iranian authorities to speak to that.

The Fallujah operation though, writ large, is under the command and
control of the Iraqi Government, and we’d refer you to them to answer
any questions about that. But this is a large-scale operation involving
tens of thousands of Iraqi forces and with the support of these Popular
Mobilization forces, and thus far it’s a difficult fight. It’s a long
fight. As we talked about, there’s – we’re watching closely reports of –
credible reports of abuses on civilians, but thus far we’re hearing the
right things from the Iraqi Government.

Are you hearing credible reports, spokesperson Mark Toner?

Or are you ignoring reality?

The same way the US government ignored the realities of abuse throughout
Nouri al-Maliki's second term as prime minister of Iraq (2010 - 2014)
allowed the situation to grow worse and worse until the Islamic State
began to appear to be a viable alternative to some Sunnis in Iraq.

The US government will back anyone if they think it will help with regards to oil.